Firecracker
by QHCowgirl10
Summary: Tempers fly high when the Marauders set off Zonkos fireworks- Sirius Black and OC Jackie


Jackie had just entered the common room through the portrait hole when an exploding firecracker from Zonkos let out a crack like a gunshot and spewed brightly colored sparks over the top of her head. She let out a gasp of surprise and flinched, squeezing her eyes shut and tightening her shoulders as red and gold sparkles lit on her hair and on the sweater of her school uniform. The howls from the four boys on the other side of the room undoubtedly belonged to the Marauders- Jackie didn't have to open her eyes to know this. When the remnants of firecracker fell limply to the ground and the smoke dissipated, Jackie finally opened her eyes, her hands clenched into fists and her teeth gritted. Directly in her line of vision was none other than Sirius Black, leaning back in his chair and letting out a bark of laughter.

"Whatsamatter O'Shay? A bit of a surprise?" he asked unable to keep a grin off his handsome face. While the majority of the Hogwarts female population would go weak at the knees if Sirius simply looked at them, Jackie felt a wave of anger over take her at these words.

"You are insufferable Sirius Black! INSUFFERABLE!," she yelled at him, temper rising to the surface like steam from a boiling pot of water.

Sirius rolled his eyes and tilted his chair back on two legs. "Ahh come on, O'Shay. Don't get your knickers in a twist," he drawled easily, flashing his signature sideways grin that, when used carelessly, could knock out by-standing females as effectively as a physical blow.

Jackie took one look at him, shaking with anger. "You're- I- This-" she spluttered.

Sirius's eyes lit with amusement. "Spit it out, Jacks," he said tauntingly.

"Just- Just- Urghhh!" Jackie yelled and spun on her heel, raging out of the portrait hole, ignoring the protests of the Fat Lady. Try as she might, Jackie could not storm away from her emotions- they followed her like the annoying buzzing of a fly. "_He called you 'Jacks',_" her subconscious reminded her unhelpfully, causing her stomach to churn at the thought.

"_He's an idiot,"_ she thought back.

"_He doesn't come up with nicknames for any other girl,"_ the voice nagged. Truth be told, Sirius couldn't remember the name of any other girl he'd had flings with; so vast in quantity were his amorous relationships that they tended to blend together.

Jackie shook her head, trying to organize her thoughts when the sound of footsteps shook her from her reverie. She had been stalking down hallways and turning corners without even paying attention to where she was going. Judging by the time Jackie had returned to the common room, it would now be past hours and if she were caught roaming the school at this hour, she would be punished for sure. Before she could come up with a clever hiding spot, the owner of the feet rounded the corner and, upon almost running straight into Jackie, stopped dead. It was none other than Sirius Black.

"Now hold on, Jacks," he began, but before he could continue, Jackie took a threatening step towards him.

"Leave me alone, Sirius," she said but rather than coming out as a snarl like she'd intended, it came out in a pleading tone that was quite unlike her. At the sound of her voice, the condescending expression slid off of his face and he instead took on a look of concern.

"Jackie," he said in a much gentler voice than he usually used. "Look- Christ, I'm sorry, okay? We were just screwing around…" He was looking anxiously at her as he spoke, for he knew it wasn't the firecracker that had caused her to lose her temper. It was everything else that he'd done and the firecracker was simply the last straw. When she didn't respond, Sirius tried a different tact. "O'Shay, I know you're sick of the Marauders lately…" Jackie rolled her eyes as they both remembered the events of the past week- dungbombs dropped in Divination, a rampaging griffin in Care of Magical Creatures, a couch set on fire in the teacher's lounge and most notably the enormous party in the Gryffindor common room that involved a dozen bottle of firewhiskey and boxes upon boxes of Honeydukes best chocolates. Truth be told Jackie had quite enjoyed the party but due to Professor McGonagall showing up at three in the morning to scream at James and Sirius, she considered the event a mark against the Marauders.

He took a step nearer to her and swallowed convulsively. "I don't want to upset you, Jacks," he said, his scruffy black hair falling across his forehead looking handsomely ruffled. Jackie hesitated suspiciously; it was common knowledge that Sirius Black was the Casanova of Hogwarts and she knew that he would try to charm her in some way, but she was determined to resist whatever he threw at her. Nothing good would come from a fling with Sirius, no matter how much her stomach filled with butterflies at the thought of him. For a brief moment, his eyes found hers and they connected, grey with blue. She knew this was the moment where he would lean in seductively for the kiss and in her panic she held her breath, looking nervously up at him. Any second now, any second…. He opened his mouth slowly and, taking his time, he drawled "Next time I'll aim the firecracker at Dorcas Meadowes". And he gave her a swift punch in the shoulder, knocking her back a step, and turned to sidle away down the hall, back towards the common room.

She stared after him in complete astonishment, her mouth falling open as he turned a corner and disappeared from sight. Slowly she turned to the portrait of an old milkmaid hanging on the wall beside her, as if to verify the legitimacy in what had just happened. The milkmaid merely winked at her and her cow gave a sympathetic moo. Shaking her head, she hitched her school bag a bit higher on her shoulder and set off down the hall after Sirius, chewing her lower lip in frustration and doubting that she would ever understand men.


End file.
